February 25, 2012

The Beginner's Guide to Painting Furniture

If you've ever wondered how to paint your old wooden furniture, well then today's post is for you! Welcome to my beginner's guide to painting furniture.

I'm a huge fan of doing big things on a small budget.I think you can create something awesome and not have to spend a fortune to do so. It just requires creativity and the willingness to get your hands dirty. Painting old thrift store furniture is one of the ways I do that.

Here's my favorite find ever, my bedroom dresser. I scored it secondhand for only $50, and completely transformed it with some homemade chalk paint. See chalk paint recipe here....scroll down to tip #6.

I absolutely love the way it turned out.

This dresser was a total score, and I knew immediately that I could turn it into a piece I would love for a long time.Here is how it originally looked the day I brought it home.

This thing was a total ugly duckling at first. And this 'before' pic does it way more justice than it deserves. It was a dirty, smoky, beaten up, rickety old dresser.

It took a lot of work to transform this dresser into such a babe, but it was well worth it!

Here's how I did it:

#1. I took out the drawers and removed the handles.

#2. Sanded the whole thing down with my trusty sander.

#3. Coated the whole thing with Zinsser Primer. (See why you should prime first here.)

#4. Painted the drawers & frame with 2 coats of Behr Premium 'Creamy White' that I converted into chalk paint. If you use chalk paint, you can actually skip the sanding and priming part, but I wanted this dresser to be really durable so I did it anyways.

#5. Once the paint was thoroughly dry, I put the drawers back in and screwed in the hardware. Then I finished the whole thing with Minwax Finishing Wax (Amazon Affiliate link). All you do is rub some of it on the furniture with a rag and then buff it out. It buffs out to a beautiful finish, and makes painted furniture look fabulous.

I usually change out the hardware when I redo furniture, but the hardware on this piece was pretty, so I just left it alone.

My favorite tip is to paint the insides of your drawers. It looks beautiful and it gets rid of any smells or stains.

I'm totally hooked on painting the insides of drawers now. Best upgrade to an old dresser ever! You can see more about how to do that here.I love the way the dresser turned out, and love the way it looks in the master bedroom.

If you want to read more about our bedroom, you can check out this post about the 10 different looks this room has had since the start of this blog and all of the crazy mistakes I've made along the way! I can almost guarantee you'll enjoy it. :)
And thanks so much for stopping by today! I'm so glad you're here!

Lovely, Virginia. Very fresh and crisp with a feminine and classical flavor. I'm here via 'better after' as well! I absolutely love the focal wall in the bathroom--those horizontal stripes are very attractive. Good work getting your brother to do all of that work in the living room! He does nice work! Thank you for sharing your efforts and posting your lovely pictures!

I love the AFTER of your dresser. Main reason? I have the same one! I got it w/ a huge mirror and a matching tall dresser at my Salvation Army thrift store for $79.99. I'm still trying to decide what to do with them. See them here right after we brought them home:http://www.handbagsnpigtails.com/2010/09/be-still-my-heart.html

This is fabulous! There's nothing more beautiful in home decor than a French Provincial piece of furniture! You did a fantastic job! So happy to be your newest fan. Please stop by bellanest.blogspot.com any time.

I love the dresser and have one just like it except for the color. You got a fabulous deal too! Check out my two tone combo http://lifebeginsatfortysomething.blogspot.com/2012/09/french-dresser-chalk-paint-project.html

Your bedroom is just beautiful. so serene. Love the dresser. I see them all the time on CL just as ugly and beat up as "Wanda"! You did a great job. Where on earth did you score that gorgeous mirror?? LOVE!

I saw that you "spray painted the mirror"???? Would you mind sharing what paint? I was going to do one silver, but thought about the rub and buff. Also, Martha Stewart has paint in "precious metals". Don't know if that would work. Thanks again.!!!! Beth

Amazing! It is so beautiful! I too am a fan of Behr satin finish. I have been making my own chalk paint for the primer so I don't have to sand, then a coat of latex satin and wax. It's pretty cheap but Kilz would be much easier. Your bedroom is so peaceful and pretty. I love it.

beautiful! i am about to embark on a similar project and am doing my research. your blog is very helpful. can you share what equipment you used to sand this dresser? do you have any favorite brushes that you always use? thanks!

Everything you've done I've loved! I have a question for you that I havent been able to find much info on-What are your thoughts on using chalk paint/wax on kitchen cabinets? I'm not sure why this hasn't been brought up (very much, that I have found)...you have a lot of paint experience so, thought you'd be a good person to ask! Thanks!!

This is by far the best DIY website I have ever seen! I absolutely love everything you have done! I am going to try and remake an old dresser with chalk paint and I was wondering if you can use semi-gloss interior paint or is it better to use flat paint? Thanks!

You have quickly become a favorite blogger of mine. I'm hooked on your posts! You're very informative, witty, and your projects are amazing and beautiful!! I have one question. I love all the white, off white colors you use in your house, although I couldn't pull it off, my hubby likes to work on cars. How do you keep it spotless with a hubby? ;)

You have inspired me!!! You have done such a beautiful job on your house. Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful projects. I know very little about paint so I have a question about chalk paint. When I hear chalk paint, I think of black paint that you can use chalk on. Why use a chalk paint? Does it give it a texture?

Thank you so much! Chalk paint works similar to chalkboard paint (the black stuff you write on), but you can make it in any color. It doesn't have a texture, it's just smooth. But the reason I love using it on furniture is that it adheres to wood really well without having to prime or sand. Basically, it just lets you skip a lot of prep work! :)

I found your blog one late night when I was on Pintrest and I think I have read every single post!!! I absolutely love everything!!! I have a lot of furniture that was gifted to us (new homeowners on a budget) and you have inspired me to transform it! That being said...I am terrified! I bought a sander and used it and HATED it! :( I'm afraid I won't get through the project! But I'm still going to try! Whats the best sealer for the method you used on the dresser? I plan on doing this to a bedroom set! Thanks for sharing all your projects!!!

This tutorial was the best find for me! I got an old bureau for free (they were going to throw it away because the slide to one of the drawers was missing) and it needs a serious makeover.

The teen who it was originally used for had painted it white (which is perfect for the piece), but then wrote in permanent marker on the top edge of some of the drawers and on one side. The original hardware was taken off, the holes filled in, new holes drilled, and modern silver hardware fitted in. This piece has a "French" look to it that the modern pieces have 'ruined.'

Now that I have your instructions on how to properly repaint a bureau, I can't wait to do it! I'll also need to find more appropriate hardware for the piece.

I have a question on another piece. I have a very old wood nightstand that seems to have a layer of veneer over the top and was then painted over with a thick black paint. The piece itself is very beautiful and I want to 'restore' it. Do you think the same steps for refinishing the bureau would work on the nightstand?

I just found your link and I am so impressed by all of your hard work. I also live in a 70's house but mine still looks like it is in the 70's. I want to paint a 70's style hutch and a kitchen table. I bought milk paint because there is less prep work with it but maybe I should just use the chalk paint?? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Hi! Thank you for your tips. I am about to paint a hutch. I have sanded it down and was going to prime it with a spray paint primer but planning on painting it with a roller/brush and Behr paint. Do you think its okay to prime with the spray paint or should I prime with a can a primer instead?

Thank you so much! You have given me courage to tackle a bunch of furniture in my house that I have just been living with. It's good wood furniture, just not a color I want. I hope my pieces come out as great as yours did.

Beautiful! I found your blog while looking for inspiration (and courage!) to tackle painting my sewing table and I want to tell you, you are an inspiration! Extremely talented. That dresser looks for all the world like an Andrew Malcolm Furniture piece. I just bought one of their beds second-hand today and plan to sand, prime and paint it white. I might just have to start looking for matching pieces like that dresser :)

I love how this turned out and I appreciate that you've outlined the steps. Most bloggers omit that part which makes duplicating very difficult if you're trying to achieve the same look. Just a question, is there any way to avoid the shadows which occur where the drawers aren't tight against the frame?

Found your blog by accident whilst looking for chalk paint articles. I'm bookmarking this site as I intend to come here to learn how to do things well. You are a good teacher, I like that you use chalk paint to make ugly things beautiful enough to use and admire. My first forays into chalk paint use has been on garden items, junk, didn't matter if it came out badly or doesn't last.Now I know how to make it durable and lovely. No disrespect to others, but I am tired of blogs devoted to distressing with chalk paint, sometimes to the point of ridiculousness.This is such a refreshing change, thank you for doing this

This dresser is absolutely gorgeous! I love all your diys. Thanks to you and your chalk paint recipe I have updated four pieces of thrift store furniture and I have to say I love it much better than store bought furniture. You have made this house beautiful. I use all the same paint colors you have used. I'm a total copy cat :-) Did you use the same color thats on your bedroom walls in the side room? Thanks!

I've been reading a couple of your blog entries where you've talked about refinishing furniture. Can you explain chalk paint versus primer (do you need to primer if you use chalk paint?) Also, what is the difference between the polycrylic clear coat and paste finishing wax? I'm looking to repaint a dresser as quickly and easily (and cheaply) as possible. :) Thanks!

Started following you love all your info. been looking for a french provincial dresser for my little girl's shabby chic room. So far the ones I find are anywhere from 150.00 and more. Wish I could score one for cheap like you did! All your things are beautiful and such great information which I will be using! Thanks

I have been searching tutorials to paint my mothers bedroom suite when I came across yours. It is the EXACT SAME dresser!! I love seeing the preview of what mine is going to look like! Only, I am keeping the tops as wood. My dads dresser has the cigarette burns in the top around where his ashtray used to be. Gross, I know... but I can't stand the thought of covering it up. Brings back memories of standing on my tippy toes to see what was on top of his dresser!After seeing yours finished I am very excited to get it done!

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Hi! I'm Virginia! I'm a newlywed & new homeowner who loves decorating and DIY projects. Making something new out of something old is what inspires me! I'm constantly looking for affordable ways to transform our house! This is my place to share inspirations and DIY! Oh, and maybe talk a little bit about my love for very fat cats. View my story